Surgeon&#39;s operating-table.



A. P. ASHBY & W. ALLEN.

SURGEONS OPERATING TABLE.

- APPLICATION TILED DEG.4,191Z. 1,078,894. Patented Nov. 18, 1913.:

2 SHEETBSHEET 1.

A. P'. ASHBY & W. ALLEN.

SUBGEONS OPERATING TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED 1320.4, 1912.

1,078,894. Patented N0v.'18,'1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARCHIE P. ASHBY AND WILLIAM ALLEN, OF VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA.

SURGEONS OPERATING-TABLE.

orssoa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Application filed December 4, 1912. Serial No. 734,946.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARCHIE P. ASHBY and WILLIAM ALLEN, citizens of the 'United States, residing at Virginia Beach, in the county of Princess Anne and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgeons Operating-Tables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to operating tables, and has for its object the provision of a structure which may be utilized asa stretcher and also as a table for supporting the patientduring the performance of an operation, thereby avoiding undue handling or lifting of the patient in transferring him from the ward to the operating room.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure which may be manipulated to facilitate the transfer of the patient from the bed to the operating table or from the table to the bed. i

The invention also seeks to provide an operating table which may be easily moved from place to place and which may be easily adjusted so as to be held against movement and in which the operating mechanism will be simple and efficient.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective View of an operating table embodying our present improvements; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing a portion of the operating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a cap which constitutes a support for the inner ends of the lifting levers; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the lifting levers; Fig. 6 is a detail View of a caster; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional elevation of the mounting for the-upper end of the hoisting screw. Fig. 8 is an en.- larged detail of aconnection between the stretcher frame and its support.

In carrying out our invent-ion, we employ a frame comprising lower bars or beams 1 which have their ends fitted in sockets 2 having branches disposed at right angles to a central vertical stem, the said central ver-' tical stem being tubular in form to receive the lower ends of corner posts 3 and also to permit the attachment of supporting cas ters. The shanks or spindles 4 of the casters are inserted through sleeves 5 and equipped with washers 4 at their upper ends to rest upon the upper ends of the sleeves. Each sleeve has an angular portion 5" to fa,- cilitatc its engagement by a wrench or similar tool and is exteriorl'y threaded so that it may be screwed into the socket or corner casting. A hood or casing 6 is secured upon the lower extremity of the shank and said casing (3 preferably consists of an inverted U-shapcd plate or hood having vertical slots 7 in its sides to receive the ends of an axle 8 carrying a roller 9, as will be readily understood. Upon the sides of the hood (5 are plvoted cams 10 having outwardly projecting arms 11 connected by a strap or cross bar 12 whereby they may be simultaneously operated. \Vhen the cams 10 and the lever arms 11 extending therefrom are pressed downwardly into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 6, the axles 8 will be forced to the lower ends of the slots 7 and the rollers 9 will, consequently, be projected to support the table and permit it to be moved from the ward to the operating room. \Vhen the table has been brought into the proper position in the operating room, the levers 11 are tripped upwardly by the foot of the operator and the weight of the table null then force the rollers upwardly within the hood so that the table will then rest upon the lower straight edges of the hood and consequently, will remain in the position in which it has been set. To facilitate the turning of the casters as the line. of travel of the apparatus changes, we provide, upon the housing 6, a on forming a raceway for anti-friction bal s or rollers (3 upon which the end of the sleeve 5 rests, as will be readily understood.

The posts 3 have their upper ends fitted in sockets 13 similar in all respects to the sockets 2, and upper longitudinal and transverse beams or bars 14 are fitted to the said sockets. The side bars 1 and 14 are connected by standards 15, and at the centers of the said side bars worms or hoistingscrews 16 are journaled. Upon the upper ends of the said screws 16 are secured beveled gears 17 which mesh respectively with' the beveled gears 18 and 19 on the transverse shaft 20 which has its ends fitted in the upper side bars, and ball bearings, such as indicated at- 20, may be provided around all the journals. At an intermediate point or nuts 25 in the same direction.

rigidly thereon, and this beveled gear meshes with a similar gear 22 on the driving shaft 23 which is journaled in suitable bearings on the end cross bars 14 and is equipped at one end with a hand-wheel 24. The worms or screws 16 have their threads oppositely disposed, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2, so that their rotation in opposite directions through the pinions or gears 18 and 19 will effect simultaneous movement of the blocks These blocks or nuts 25 engage the threads of the screws 16, and a pin 26 extends laterally from the outer side of each nut. A cap or cover 27 is fitted over the nut and extends over the said pin so as to support the outer end thereof and consists of a plate 28 engaging the end of the pin and tongues 29 extending over the nut at opposite sides of the screw and having their inner ends turned downwardly, as shown at 30, to engage the inner edge of the nut. The disengagement of the cap from the nut will be thereby prevented and the pin will be firmly supported and held against distortion. Upon the standards 15 are fulcrumed lifting levers or arms 31 which have their inner ends provided with longitudinal slots 32 engaging the pin 26 so as to slide upon the same, the outer ends of the said levers extending through vertical slots 33 in the corner posts 3 and being pivoted to the lower ends of links 34, which in turn are pivoted to the lower ends of the standards 35. These standards 35 are angular in cross section and the posts 3 have angular bores to receive the said standards, so that the rotation of the stand ards within the bores will be prevented. As the nuts 25 move upwardly or downwardly upon the screws 16, the inner ends of the lifting levers will follow the movements of the nuts and the outer ends thereof will, consequently. move downwardly or upwardly within the posts 3 and the standards 35,

will, of course, follow the said movements of the lifting levers so as to be lowered or raised to bring the stretcher into proper position.

To the upper ends of the standards 35 are pivoted links or brackets 36 which extend upwardly from the standards and are attached to the under side of the cot or stretcher frame 37. This cot or stretcher frame comprises side bars and cross bars or slats 38 connecting the same and will be of proper dimensions to hold a mattress or other support for the patient. The stretcher frame is constructed with a pivoted headrest 39 which may be adjusted to any desired angle with respect to the main portion of the frame and held in its adjusted position by means of a bolt or locking bar 40 slidably mounted I on the under side of the head-rest and adapted to engage a rack 41 rigid with the end of the stretcher frame, the bolt being norm-ally projected toward the rack by a spring 42 coiled around the same between a stop on the bolt and a keeper 43 on the under side of the headrest.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that we have provided a very simple apparatus by which a patient may be readily moved from a ward to an operating room and supported at the proper height for the performance of the operation and that it will not be necessary to lift the patient, except to transfer him from the bed in the ward to the cot or stretcher frame forming the upper portion of the operating table. To reduce the labor of those transferring the patient from the bed to the table and also lessening the discomfort to the patient, we provide means by which the stretcher frame may be transversely tilted so as to facilitate the transfer of the patient from the stretcher to the bed or from the bed to the stretcher. To this end, the beveled gear 19 is fitted upon the shaft 20 so that it may slide on said shaft as well as rotate therewith. The gear is normally held in mesh with the gear 17 by a spring 44 coiled around the shaft and bearing upon the gear and a stop or shoulder 45 on the shaft.

To move the beveled gear 19 out of mesh with the gear 17 against the tension of the spring 44, we pivot upon the adjacent side bar 14 a lever 46 which plays in a guard 47 and carries a lateral bracket or shifting arm 48 which bears against the outer face of the gear 19, so that, if the lever be moved inwardly, the gear 19 will be moved away from the gear 17 and, consequently, the screw at that side of the frame will remain stationary when the shaft 23 is rotated, so that the screw at the opposite side of the frame will operate alone and the stretcher frame 37 will, consequently, be tilted transversely, A stop 49 on the frame limits the outward movement of the parts under the influence of the spring 44 so that the gears 17 and 19 cannot bind.

The lost motion to accommodate the tilting of the stretcher frame may be provided in any convenient manner. We have accommodated the tilting in actual practice by the expedient illustrated in Fig. 8 in which the standards 35 at that side of the apparatus opposite the gear 19 are provided with inwardly extending offsets or lugs in which are formed grooved slots. The pivots of the clips or brackets 36 ride in these slots as the ad acent side of the stretcher frame is lowered so that the pivots may swing inwardly without being released from the standards.

Our apparatus is exceedingly simple in its construction and is, therefore, not liable to get out of order, while it may be manufactured economically.

It is thought the many advantages of the apparatus will be evident from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and detailed mention thereof is believed to be unnecessary.

What we claim is:

1. An operating table comprising a main frame consisting of upper and lower side and end bars, a transverse shaft journaled in the side bars, a longitudinal driving shaft supported by the end bars, operating means upon the driving shaft, gearin connecting the two shafts, worms journale in and extending between the upper and lower side bars, gearing connecting the transverse shaft with said worms, nuts fitted upon said worms, a stretcher frame mounted on the main frame, and lifting levers fulcrumed at fixed points on the main frame and having their outer ends connected with the stretcher frame and their inner ends slidably connected with the said nuts. I

2. An operating table comprising a main frame, worms on said frame having beveled gears at their upper ends, a stretcher frame mounted on the main frame, connections between said stretcher frame and the said worms whereby to raise or lower the stretcher frame, a transverse shaft mounted upon the main frame, means on the main frame for rotating said shaft, a fixed beveled gear at one end of said shaft meshing with the beveled gear on the adjacent worm, a beveled gear slidably fitted upon the opposite end of the shaft, means for holding said beveled gear normally in mesh with the beveled gear on the adjacent worm, and means for moving said beveled gear away from the said worm.

3. In an operating table, the combination of a main frame, a worm therein, a stretcher frame mounted on the main frame, connections between the worm and the stretcher frame for raising and lowering the same, a beveled gear on said worm, a transverse shaft in the main frame, means for rotating said shaft, a gear slidable on said shaft normally meshing with the gear 011 the worm, a lever fulcrumed upon the main frame, and a pusher arm projecting laterally from said lever and bearing against the outer face of the gear on the transverse shaft.

4. In an operating table, the combination of a main frame, a stretcher frame mounted thereon, a Worm in the main frame, means for rotating said worm, a nut fitted on said Worm, a pin projecting from said nut, a cap fitted over the nut and supporting the outer end of said pin, and levers fulcrumed on the main frame and pivotally connected with the stretcher frame and having their inner ends provided with longitudinal slots engaging the said pins.

5. In an operating table, the combination of a main frame, a stretcher frame mounted thereon, a hoisting screw on the main frame connected with the stretcher frame, a pinion on said screw, a driving shaft, a pinion slidably mounted on the said shaft, a sprin holding said pinion normally in mesh with the pinion on the hoisting screw, a lever on the main frame acting on said slidable pinion in op osition to the spring, and a stop in the pat of said lever.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ARCHIE P. ASHBY. [n s.] WVILLIAM ALLEN. [L.s.] Witnesses:

G. O. HARNESS, G. C. LORENY. 

